A novel double full-cylinder crystal x-ray spectrometer for x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) has been realized based on a modified von Hamos geometry. The spectrometer is characterized by its compact dimensions, its versatility with respect to the number of crystals used in series in the detection path, and the option to perform calibrated XES measurements. The full-cylinder crystals used are based on highly annealed pyrolytic graphite with a thickness of 40 μm, which was bent to a radius of curvature of 50 mm. The flexible design of the spectrometer allows for an easy change-within the same setup-between measurements with one crystal for maximized efficiency or two crystals for increased spectral resolving power. The spectrometer realized can be used at different end-stations of synchrotron radiation beamlines or can be laboratory-based. The main application focus of the spectrometer is the determination of x-ray fundamental atomic parameters in the photon energy range from 2.4 to 18 keV. The evaluation of chemical speciation is also an area of application, as demonstrated in the example of battery electrodes using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering.